hygroscopic

comparative more hygroscopic · superlative most hygroscopic

1. physicalbiologyReadily taking up and retaining water, especially from the atmosphere.

   All fertilizers tested are drillable at relative humidities below 50 per cent, but no fertilizer remains drillable when exposed to a humidity above its hygroscopic point.

   1930, Experiment Station Record - Volume 63, page 582

   1 more example

   The tissues of Ralfsia are dense and the cells are extremely hygroscopic. The plants may become almost crisp dry in the sun, yet remain alive and continue growth with the first splash of the incoming tide.

   1966, E. Yale Dawson, Seashore Plants of Southern Califonria, 3rd printing, Berkley: University of California Press, published 1975, →ISBN, →LCCN, pages 23–24

   Synonyms: hydrophilic · Antonyms: anhygroscopic, hydrophobic